How did this happen? How did I suddenly become the old guy
in the room? I don’t feel old (at least most days). I certainly don’t think of
myself as the sage voice of wisdom that grandparents are supposed to be. I don’t
act like a grandpa (except maybe when it comes to my taste in music). I don’t
think like a grandpa, but then again I’m not sure how grandpas think. What kind
of grandpa will I be?

I don’t remember much of my paternal grandfather other than
he was a mountain of a man that died way too young. My maternal grandfather,
Grampy, survived into my adulthood.I
remember him vividly, and revered him as great man of knowledge, wisdom, and
experience. Because of my experiences with him, I have always deemed
grandfathers as this repository of life experience and sage advice. I’m not
sure I’m ready for that role.

What do I hope to offer my grandchildren? I hope I can
impart the same things that my Grampy tried to impart to me—experience, knowledge,
and wisdom.

Imagine if you could give a grandchild the gift of
experience. You could save a grandson a great deal of heartache and trouble
because he could learn from your experience and not have to suffer through his
own mistakes. You could give a granddaughter just learning to drive your years
of driving experience, and help her avoid accidents. You could give a new
married couple the gift of experience at raising children, managing a household,
or learning to get along. If you could simply bequeath your life experience to
your grandchildren, imagine the pitfalls and regrets they could avoid.

History repeats itself because we cannot pass on the
experience of history to the next generation. It is true that I can teach my
grandchildren and tell them stories that they can learn from, but if I could
somehow transfer my experience to my grandchildren, they would be years ahead.

But life doesn’t work that way. The next generation must
always learn some things from their own experience, not from the experience of
those who have come before them. We cannot magically pass on our experience. Every generation must experience life for
themselves.

Modern technology has allowed us to download and transfer information
from one electronic repository to another at an incredible rate. Yet in spite
of all of the information available at our fingertips, the human brain still
garners knowledge bit-by-bit and piece-by-piece through the study and practice.
Imagine if we could simply plug our brain into a source of knowledge and download
knowledge from a computer. What if I could transfer all the knowledge I have
gained through the diligent effort of a lifetime to my grandchildren with the
click of a mouse?

Having more information at our fingertips does not make us
more knowledgeable. Information is not the same as knowledge. Facts don’t
automatically make us smarter. Knowing the science behind hitting a home run
does not make us a superstar in the major leagues any more than knowing the
lines of all of Shakespeare’s plays will win us an academy award. The
availability of information can accelerate learning, but each generation must
gain knowledge through study and practice.

And what about the gift of wisdom? Think of the regret you
could save a grandson or daughter if you could somehow transfer your
hard-earned wisdom to them while they are still young. Your grandson would be
wise enough to save a little money each week. Your granddaughter would be wise
enough to avoid drugs without any anti-drug campaigns. Imagine that like a bank
account we could transfer the wisdom we have garnered over the years to our
grandchildren’s account. They could avoid a multitude of dead-end pathways,
fruitless endeavors, and painful regrets.

But wisdom is gained at the cost of failure. Wisdom is paid
for with a price. We can be wise and learn from the mistakes of previous
generations, but we must also personally experience the heartbreak of some failures
in order to gain personal wisdom.

Perhaps instead of wishing to pass on any knowledge,
experience, or wisdom I may have collected over the years, I should help my
grandchildren understand how to gain those precious gems for themselves. I can
help them experience the sunrise of a winter day and the sunset of a stormy
summer evening. I can teach them that trying and failing is better than not
trying at all. I can show them that learning is the one activity that never
grows stale. I can testify that knowledge is worth the effort, and that wisdom
gained too easily can be just as easily lost.

I will do my best to impart any experience, knowledge, or
wisdom that I have collected throughout my life to my posterity, but in the end
I hope I can instill in them the courage to live and learn.

Contributors

I was driven to writing by my own arrogance. In January of 2009, I finished a book by a popular author and was very unimpressed. I turned the book over and saw that it was a NY Times best seller. “I could do better than that,” I mumbled under my breath. So I began to dabble in writing and pondered various book ideas. Although I didn’t share my writing with anyone for several months, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed my writing time and found myself eager to get back to my computer. Writing gave me new purpose, and filled an emotional void in my life. It allowed me to be creative. I began sharing my work and was encouraged. I attended Orson Scott Card’s Literary Boot Camp, and came away with greater desire and respect for the writing craft. Today, I am still arrogant enough to think that I can succeed, but not so naïve that I think success will come without great struggles and many failures.